Tales of a Night Shift: The Unexpected Realities of Supported Housing

In a recent blog post, we discussed how using security guards in supported housing often falls short of the real requirements of the service, particularly when covering a night shift. We discussed how AGS provides a concierge service that differs significantly from a security role. However, we didn’t tell you some of the stories behind the distinctly different service.

Comparing Night Shifts

The comparison between working in Supported Housing and a general security role is often clear from the very first shift. Many of our concierge staff have previous experience in security. These staff continuously tell us how different the role can be.

Worlds Apart

The following account is from an AGS Support Concierge and Safeguarding Officer:

“I worked in security for years. Night shifts mainly consisted of the occasional patrol, a lot of CCTV, and very little human contact. After working in care roles for a few years, I decided to combine and utilise my experience. So, I started working as a Concierge and Safeguarding Officer for AGS. I couldn’t believe how different the role was from any night shift I had done before.

Working as a concierge used every interpersonal, social and conflict resolution skill I had. Long gone were the nights of not seeing anyone at all. Instead, I was dealing with overdoses, self-harm, and violent drug disputes. Over the years of working nights in supported housing, I have dealt with everything from sex workers hidden in wardrobes to wild animals being kept as pets. My experience in care was just as vital as my experience in security. The situations I have faced required empathy, compassion and understanding in order to properly safeguard the residents and the premises. It was simply worlds apart from what was required of me in security.”

A Fully Managed Night Shift

Beyond hiring the right people for the right job, at AGS Support, we also pride ourselves on our comprehensive support structure. Our fully managed service means our staff always have support behind them, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. This also means that our staff are often able to safely lone work in situations which would otherwise require multiple members of staff. Simply because of our expansive night shift management and support structure, many of our partners in supported housing are able to use our lone working staff as a cost-effective alternative to building an out-of-hours structure of their own.

For more information on our services, Click Here.

Have you read our recent blog ‘More Than Security’ Click Here